Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu hot-air ballon festival rises again

SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU - The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu International Balloon Festival of took off Saturday, a year after a fatal fall marred the previous event.

More than 450,000 visitors are expected over the next nine days, all set to see some 125 balloons, including eight in special shapes, expected to take off throughout the festival. Flights are scheduled in the mornings and evenings, depending on the weather.

Last year, a 27-year-old experienced pilot was clutching the cables of a balloon, trying to help move it, when it rose above the tree line. Maxime Trepanier, a father of two, fell over 100 metres to his death.

The Saint-Jean festival, the largest gathering of its kind in Canada, carried on that year, paying tribute to the young man, whose father was also a hot air balloon pilot.

Now in its 31st year, the event boasts musical performances and the largest inflatable games area in the world, called Balloon Planet.

The event continues until Aug. 17.

With files from La Presse Canadienne